Pharmacotherapy in early infantile autism.

An up-to-date review of drug treatment in psychoses of early childhood is presented. At the present time, of all biological interventions in these developmental disorders, drug treatment alone remains a valuable addition or an essential treatment modality of the total treatment. Experience has shown that a therapeutically effective potent drug can make the autistic child more amenable to other therapies, including special education. However, knowledge is lacking about the effect of various psychoactive agents on cognition in this patient population as well as their influence on growth, weight, endocrine systems, and organs. Drugs currently in use treat symptoms, not diseases. A great need for classification in this area persists. The same symptoms may be caused by a variety of etiologic factors, and autism may or may not be the earliest expression of childhood schizophrenia. It is suggested that clinical distinctions be correlated or even improved by certain biochemical, neuroendocrine, and physiological criteria; this also may be of considerable value in predicting whether a child can benefit from a specific drug.